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Odds & Ends-Volume 109

First off,I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day today,wherever you are!

Is it just me or does Skip Bayless a bad judge on how a quarterback’s career is going to go?

Just a few seasons ago when Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were drafted first and second overall to Indianapolis and Washington,respectively, Bayless tweeted that he would take Griffin III over Luck “any day,any night,any year,any career”.

How’s that working out for ya now,Skippy?

It isn’t that he was wrong,he was wrong and arrogant about it. Now,part of that prediction wasn’t really his fault,it was Mike Shanahan’s for basically ruining Griffin’s career and rushing him back from injury when he had a healthy Kirk Cousins who could easily have kept the seat warm until Griffin was 100-percent healthy. That didn’t happen,but it still didn’t make Bayless’ hastily made statement any better.

But wait,there’s more! Bayless has recently tweeted that Jameis Winston is greater than Marcus Mariota. Now this remains to be seen on the field,but Mariota had a very good preseason while it’s been reported that Winston has said he is scared of being in the pocket. I think Bayless may be proven wrong again if Mariota turns out to be the better pro than Winston,and I think there’s a shot of that happening.

Devon Still’s time with the Bengals has come to an end. Still,who has a five-year old daughter named Leah who is battling cancer, was released on Saturday.

Many players (and even fans) can be mad or resentful towards a team for releasing them,but Still couldn’t have been classier about it.

Still tweeted, “Have nothing but love for the Bengals organization and the city of Cincinnati. Both helped me through one of the darkest times of my life and I am forever grateful.”

Even though fans have been angry at the team for releasing him, I understand their decision for doing so, but I do think that Still handled it with class and I think he is good enough to latch on with another team.

WARNING: The video below may be disturbing to watch,viewer discretion is advised!

Two high school football players from John Jay High School in San Antonio,Texas have been suspended from their team and the school after they appear to have deliberately tackled a referee during a game on Friday night.

Late in the game, where John Jay High lost to Marble Falls High 15-9, one defensive back ran from several yards away into the back of an official watching a run play. After the referee falls to the ground,another player leads with his head and dove into him.

Before that play, two John Jay players were ejected on separate plays. It is still unknown what the motive was for the players’ actions.

The school district released a statement on Sunday.

“This is disturbing,” Northside ISD spokesman Pascual Gonzalez said as part of the district’s official statement. “It is not the sportsmanlike behavior that we teach our students. We are cooperating fully with the University Interscholastic League with this investigation.”

Not only is this disturbing to see,but disrespectful,and unsportsmanlike. These two kids who did this clearly do not need to be on a football field ever again. Instead,they need to be in jail for this incident. This is clearly assault and why there hasn’t been a police investigation is pretty outrageous.

It’s been a disappointing season for the Oakland Athletics and their fans,but nothing was more disappointing than when it was reported by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that Barry Zito would not be one of the team’s September call-ups.

Zito was re-signed by Oakland after being out of baseball for all of 2014. He has spent the entire year with the Nashville Sounds,the team’s AAA affiliate.

“I thought I did everything I could to get a call-up when I was going all right, but it just didn’t work out,” Zito said by phone Saturday. “At least I know I gave myself the best chance I could.”

In a year where you’ve pretty much shit the bed and done nothing to improve your roster and put asses in the seats (28th in attendance,yeah,best fans in the world,right?), this could’ve been a great gentleman’s move to give a one-time fan favorite a great send off. That didn’t happen and now if Zito wants to come back for one last hurrah,he’ll have to wait until 2016 for such a sendoff. Stay tuned!

The American Hockey League has announced that an outdoor game is coming to the Sacramento area in December. The game billed as the “Golden State Hockey Rush” between the Stockton Heat and the Bakersfield Condors will take place on Dec. 18 at Raley Field in West Sacramento.

“This event will be a special showcase for our Pacific Division in its inaugural season,” AHL president David Andrews said. “We look forward to this celebration of hockey outdoors and to sharing the experience with the terrific hockey fans in Northern California.”

The game is part of a six-week event at Raley Field called the “Greatest Show on Snow” with a holiday ice skating rink,other attractions expected include the “Monster Ice Slide” used at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, rides, arts and crafts and more.

I think this is an exciting event for Sacramento and I may partake in this event if tickets are still available. I just hope it doesn’t rain.

Finally,I want to thank the guys from SportsTalk 916,Greg Boehl and Coach Greg Varozza for having me on their show last night. I had such a great time talking sports and more importantly the upcoming football season.

These guys put on a very good show and if you haven’t heard it yet, what have you been waiting for? They’re on every Sunday night at 8pm Pacific and you can also listen to their podcasts. Their website is linked to ours at the very bottom of the home page,but if you’re that fucking lazy,here’s a link: